Mink

Mink facts

Mink are long bodied, dark-coloured, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters and ferrets. There are two species referred to as "mink": the American mink and the European mink

The mink we have in Britain are not native. They are American mink (Neovison vison), which originated from mink brought in the UK for fur-farming. The European mink has apparently never existed in the British Isles

Mink farms had been established in the UK from the 1920s, and at its peak in the 1950s, there were 400 known fur farms in the UK

Today mink are widespread in Britain's mainland, except in the mountainous regions of Scotland, Wales and the Lake District

Mink breeding season lasts April to May, but they have a curious phenomenon know as delayed implantation, in which the embryo may stop developing for a variable period, so that as long as 76 days may elapse before the litter arrives

Mink is nocturnal and prey on fish and other aquatic life, small mammals, birds and eggs

In North American Northwest Coast legends, Mink is portrayed as an irreverent trickster and troublemaker, whose exploits are culturally inappropriate in humorous ways. In some tribes, Mink is often considered a lucky animal

Why we need to protect mink

American Mink in Great Britain

A widespread modern misconception is that the UK’s wild population of American mink originated from mass releases of mink from fur farms by animal rights activists in the 1990s. In fact, the wild population was established decades earlier from multiple escapes (and perhaps deliberate releases) all over the country. Mink were first confirmed to be breeding in the wild in 1956. By December 1967, wild mink were present in over half the counties of England and Wales, and in much of lowland Scotland. After all these years naturalised in the UK, it can be argued that mink has now become part of the British ecosystem and now is playing the role of other native predator species such as otters that had disappeared in some areas because of hunting, which means that it should no longer be considered a threat. Besides, the fact mink is not native to the UK does not imply that it cannot suffer if it is mistreated or killed inhumanely, so it still needs protection from that.

Mink hunting

In the UK organised Otter hunts began to target mink after their initial quarry, otters, were depleted in numbers and it become illegal to hunt them since 1978. During a mink hunt, the hounds are followed on foot as they walk or swim along riverbanks while the mink frantically attempt to escape. Unlike otters, mink have small territories (less than a mile of river bank) so once they have been spotted by the hunt they tend not to go far. Mink hunting is banned in England and Wales by the Hunting Act 2004 as it bans the hunting of wild mammals with dogs (regardless if they are native or not), but we believe it still continues.

Snaring

Mink are also the victims of snaring in the UK, and as it is illegal to release a caught mink back onto the wild for being considered an alien species, even if mink is still alive when found caught by a snare and even if it was not the intended target, it will be killed.

What is the League doing to protect mink

When the right intelligence reaches our Animal Crimewatch officers we can investigate reports of illegal mink hunting across the UK, although this is rare as mink hunts are very secretive

By campaigning to protect the Hunting Act 2004 from repeal or weakening we are protecting the only piece of legislation that makes illegal the use of dogs to inhumanely hunt mink

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As a team, we share the same passion – to stop animal cruelty in the name of sport. We are a tight knit team and we work hard within a fun, relaxed environment. We also offer something many employers don’t – an office full of friendly dogs!

Hunting was banned in England and Wales in 2004, but the law has never been properly enforced, and attempts to weaken or repeal it continue. The hunting law in Scotland is weak, and hunting is still legal in Northern Ireland.

Hurting and killing animals for ‘sport’ is one of the principal causes of animal cruelty in the UK: tens of millions suffer and die each year for ‘leisure’ activities. We’re here to protect those animals.

The Hunting Act 2004 is the law which bans chasing wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales – this basically means that fox hunting, deer hunting, hare hunting, hare coursing and mink hunting are all illegal, as they all are cruel sports based on dogs chasing wild mammals.

Bullfighting is perhaps the most well known spectator “sport” involving the killing of animals for entertainment. It has already been banned in most countries, but each year tens of thousands of bulls are maimed, tortured and killed for entertainment in Spain, Portugal, France, Colombia, Mexico, USA, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru.

The hidden side of greyhound racing includes dogs kept for long periods in lonely kennels, painful injuries from racing and training, illness and neglect. Shockingly, thousands of surplus dogs die or disappear every year. The League believes dogs should not suffer or die for entertainment or for the profit of the dog racing industry.